Thursday, June 12, 2008

Fathers

Father’s Day will be here in a few days. I got to thinking about fathers and what they represent in a family. According to the dictionary, a father is the male parent. He has many roles to fulfill: provider, protector, instructor, trainer, commander, corrector, nourisher. The list could go on and on, but you can get the general idea what their role in life should be.

I remember growing up thinking my dad could do no wrong and could basically walk on water if he wanted. When I was little I would sit on his lap and we would talk and play and I would tell him I would marry him when I grew up. I realized as I got older that that was not possible or even legal, but I also came to the conclusion I wanted to marry someone "like my father." I believe I did that. I married a wonderful man who is a super father to our four boys. He has set a good example for all of them to follow. He has not only been a good father, but a great husband, which is hopefully the model they will follow when they marry.

I was fortunate to get to be a stay-at-home mom while our kids have grown up. Hubby did not want me working and sticking our kids in daycare. Even though our youngest just graduated from high school, he does not want me to have to work outside the home. So thank goodness for the Internet and my online business! He has been an excellent provider as a husband and father. He has worked at the same job for nearly 26 years doing shift work. We added on to and remodeled our house ourselves to give each of the boys their own room to enjoy while they still lived at home. He has taught the boys a lot about construction and then encouraged them to go to the technical college where he went in order to gain more knowledge in that trade – which they have done. He is interested and involved in what the boys are doing and was a faithful supporter of them for 3 ½ years in their training to obtain their first-degree black belts in Tae Kwon Do. He has also been their Christian mentor and example since they were very little. I remember several of the boys having to write a paper for school about their hero. And guess who it was they wrote about? Their dad.

Fathers keep the family linked together and make the world go round. I feel sorry for those who have grown up without a father in the picture. Little boys need them to have a buddy or a hero to look up to. Whey they get to be teenagers, the dads have usually lost that status, but it made great memories for dad while their little boys were growing up. Little girls need their daddies in order to know what to look for in a husband years down the road. They have a way of wrapping their dad around their little fingers and before dads know it, they are telling the preacher they are giving their little girl to the man of her dreams. My husband and never had any little girls, but I know giving a daughter away at the wedding would have been really hard on him. He is not an overly emotional guy, but something like that would choke him up and cause very moist eyes.

I have two plaques hanging side by side in our bedroom. One says "A mother is a person who can take the place of all others, but whose place no one else can take." The other one says "Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a daddy." Both sayings are so true. Do not forget to wish your dad a Happy Father’s Day, but most of all, tell your father (and mother) that you love them. If it was not for them you would not be here! Plus, we never know from one day to the next how long they or we will be around to tell them "I love you," and once someone is gone it is too late.

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.

http://www.internettowealth.com/

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Kansas - the Land of Oz

When the word ‘Kansas’ is mentioned to people who do not live there, or one of its surrounding states, one of two things probably come to mind. It would either be cowboys and Indians or the Wizard of Oz. I have heard people remark that was traveling through my state that they did not realize how beautiful it is. They thought it was just flat plains for miles and miles. That is probably because of how it is portrayed on western movies. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Kansas is actually very hilly in many places, and unless we are having a drought year, everything is a luscious green – not dried up tumble weeds blowing around.

Three times of year are especially beautiful times to visit us Kansans. The first would be in late June when the golden wheat fields are rippling in the wind. Our waves of grain are just as beautiful as the waves of water for those on our coastal shores. Another time of year is in August and September when the fields of sunflowers are in full bloom of golden yellow flowers. It is amazing how those flowers rotate their heads to smile at and follow the sun throughout the day while the stalks are green. However, when harvest time approaches for them, they are rather ugly because they are just a field of tall, brown, dried stalks. Along with wheat and sunflower fields, there is also the third cop in the fall of milo, which produces a beautiful grain head atop stalks that get redder the closer it is to harvest. These crops are partly what has given Kansas the nickname of ‘Land of ahhhhhhhhs.’

Because of the notorious movie of "Wizard of Oz", Kansas is well-known for its tornadoes. The past week has had many tornadoes forecasted and also touched down. We actually made preparation for heading to the cellar twice in about 5 days. The one tornado was spotted only about three miles from our little town. The other time it dissipated before it reached us. However, there was one that was in that same storm cell that started tracking a different path that hit two small towns about 60 miles from us, but only about ten miles from where two of our sons live. The one little town was hit rather hard. They lost a new welding shop, a newly reopened cafĂ©, a trucking company, a dog kennel, the town water tower, and damage to homes and property. People in Kansas are used to the forecast of tornadoes and know how to take precautions, so luckily no one was hurt. Unfortunately, the dog kennel was not so lucky. The lady that owns it is my cousin, and I was informed she lost 60 some of her breeding dogs to death – not just missing.

I feel really bad for people who lose their homes due to tornadoes or any other natural disaster or fire. Equally as bad or maybe worse is when people lose a business because it is their livelihood and what puts bread and butter on their table. I guess that is one advantage to having an online business – nothing is physically damaged or destroyed unless it is your computer itself. Most of that information can be recovered though and you do not have the thousands and thousands of dollars lost like in a physical structure. One thing I did learn some time back when my computer went down was to print off a list of user names and passwords for online sites. Keeping that in a safe place can save myself the headache of retrieval later. Plus I was able to just use that information then on another computer while mine was in the shop.

Well, next time you hear Kansas mentioned, maybe you will think of something besides Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West. Maybe you can imagine the beautiful fields of crops we have from spring through fall. Kansas really is a beautiful state to live in or visit. Oh, here we go again….the pager just went off and we are in another tornado watch until 9:00pm tonight. Come on Toto – let’s make sure things are in order once again!

Author:
Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
http://www.internettowealth.com/

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Decisions, Decisions

Have you ever heard the phrase "The decisions you make today determine where you will be tomorrow."? The mind is such an awesome tool. For some reason we believe and follow what and where it tells us. This can be a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing. A person’s attitude plays a big role in where they end up in life. People with a positive outlook tend to make good things happen in their life. Those with a negative attitude look for the bad in every situation and grumble and gripe because it is that way. A good phrase to keep in mind to deep you on track in thoughts and vocalization is "Positively NO negative!"

So with the attitude then comes the decisions that we make in our lives. It is our decision every day when we get out of bed if we are going to have a good or bad day. God gives us all the same day, but it is up to each of us how we decide to us it. In all honesty, we all have a bad day now and then. But what we do with it is determined by that attitude. This can put to play the phrase, "If life hands you lemons – make some lemonade!" That is just a way of taking a negative factor and making a positive situation out of it.

Making decisions is something that begins as toddlers. We started by deciding which food we did or did not like. We decided which toys we did or did not want to play with on a particular day. As we got to be teenagers, we decided which clothes or hairstyle we did or did not like. Our friends were also our decision – sometimes to our parent’s dismay. As we approached adulthood, decisions became much more important and complex. What to do after graduating from high school? What to pursue as a career or job? Who we want to marry and spend our life with? Where we live and what house we want to buy? How many kids we want and how we are going to discipline and raise them? At the time we are faced with making decisions, we may not consider all the consequences that go along with them. That is a lot of times what makes what we think was a good decision turn into a bad one. Just as good decisions can lead to success, bad ones can ultimately lead to defeat.

When growing up, I can remember kids in school who, if they could not make up their mind about something, would start in with the "eenie meenie miney moe" chant. My kids did that in their younger years too. I haven’t been around a lot of that age of kids for some time (my youngest just graduated from high school), but I am sure that it is still a well-used chant for indecisiveness. As a kid, it is used from picking a certain choice of food to picking who is going to be on your team to play a game. What memories!

As an adult then, many decisions have to be made that can ultimately determine where we end up in life. With much more seriousness, using that famous school yard chant is probably not the best choice for making up your mind about something in adulthood. According to the dictionary, a decision is the determination to follow a course of action. So once a person has determined to do something, they need to stick to it with diligence. There are times that no matter how hard a person strives to accomplish something that it just will not work. That is one of those life ‘lemons’, but with a little sweetener, lemonade can be made if for nothing else than to give us experiences. Many times if people do not see an immediate positive result from a decision, they will automatically think that it was the wrong one.

I have been involved in several direct selling and online business opportunities. None of those worked out because of various reasons, but I did learn several things in the process. I made lemonade out of the lemons! I then knew what I was and was not looking for in an online business, and it has helped me achieve that success I was looking for. One of my requirements was to be on a team that has mentors who offer online training and are available by phone or email if you have problems or questions – and I have found that. My decisions of today are determining where I will be tomorrow. Well, I think I will go have a pop. Diet Coke or Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi? Hmmmmm….eenie meenie miney moe…….

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
www.InternetToWealth.com

Monday, May 12, 2008

Donating Blood

Are you afraid of needles? Admittedly, there are different sizes of these, and some just look HUGE! Maybe it is the size or maybe the temporary pain that makes people afraid of them. There are things a person can do to get through this fear in order to donate blood. So, how do you become a hero if you are afraid of needles? I do not know if I can really answer that in a way to calm the fears of someone terrified of needles. Maybe it is just an issue of mind over matter. I tell myself I am doing it to help people, as one donation can save as many as three lives. It is not something I need to do on a very regular routing. You can give six times in a year, as you are only eligible to give every 56 days. So what is an hour of my time if someone needs my help? I am not going to be losing the blood for long, as the body quickly replaces it. It only takes an hour to give – less than 10 minutes for the actual donation. I have enough to share, as the average adult body contains 10-12 pints and you are only giving up one.

There are several blood types: A, B. AB, and O. There is also the negative or positive aspect. Type O blood donors are a critical member of the life-saving team. It is the most common blood type, so it is also the most in demand. If you are O-positive, more than 1/3 of the population can be transfused if they have O-positive, A-positive, or B-positive. If you are O-negative, you have the universal blood type. In emergencies, this means your blood can be transfused to anyone, regardless of their blood type. As a Type-O donor, you can save more lives in more ways than any other blood types, so you are what is refereed to as a her"O" (hero) donor. Actually, anyone who donates blood is a hero to anyone who needs it.

The American Red Cross is a wonderful organization that comes to people’s rescue in the time of need. This can be in the time of disaster, casualties, diseases, or sickness. Thankfully, because people donate blood to the American Red Cross on a volunteer basis, there is a blood bank from which patients can get what they need in either quantity or blood type. Because of certain diseases, a person may require a full transfusion – it is there for that. Blood loss from an accident or surgery may require several pints – it is there for that.

There is a 97% chance you know someone who will need a blood transfusion. Every 2 seconds is how often someone in America needs blood. So next time you see the ad for the American Red Cross wanting your help to save lives, please consider doing it. Just take a deep breath when you arrive, tell yourself it is for a good cause, tell the assistant it is your first time and that you are nervous (they will help calm those fears) and just look the other way when they are ready to insert the needle. You will be surprised how much difference that can make. It is like having a honeybee or wasp land on you. If you don’t know they are there, you do not know when (or if) they are going to sting. But if you start freaking out, even when they just start swarming around you, you tend to tense up and get scared, and it makes things so much worse.

Donating blood is a good example of teamwork. I look at it with this analogy comparing it to my online business that I can work from home:
Patient + donor + Red Cross = blood for those in need
Mentor + help + Internet = success for building an online business

Either way you look at it, teamwork is what makes either of these scenarios work.

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
www.InternetToWealth.com

Friday, May 9, 2008

The Title of "Stay-at-Home Mom"

Once when an insurance salesman was helping my husband and I fill out a joint application, he asked me what my occupation was. I told him I was just a stay-at-home mom. He exclaimed, "Just! That is a very important job and very rewarding for both you and your kids." I thought about what he said and he was so right. Many women are not fortunate enough to be able to stay home to raise their kids because of needing the extra income. My husband and I decided when we started having kids that no one else was going to raise them for us, and we did not want them to be latch-key kids. It is a proven fact that that situation is not good for kids or society. So we cinched the belt really tight to be able to afford to do it. We had four boys, and the youngest is now getting ready to graduate from high school and leave for college.


I have enjoyed being able to stay at home even while they were in school, not just as preschoolers. It is great to be able to have them walk in the house after school and yell, "MOM! I’m home!" This has allowed me to be able to do things for and with them that I wouldn’t have been able to do if I was working. I went as a sponsor on several field trips, I helped as a room mother at school parties, I volunteered to help elementary kids with the Accelerated Reading Program at school, and I was able to help with high school post-prom decorating - all while many parents were at work. We have even been able to go take our sons out to lunch during college when my husband’s work schedule would allow for the 150-mile round trip to be worked in. He works shift work with a rotating schedule, which takes extra planning. That was another factor determining me being a stay-at-home mom. With his rotating shifts, there would have been times I would not have seen much out of him.


I have done several things at home to help with the finances. I have been involved in several direct selling opportunities. Those did not work out because you have to go out and sell – same as working a J-O-B. I help my husband with his part-time construction business when he needs my assistance. I personally have three businesses that I run from home to help with the income. The first one is raising registered Beagle puppies. We have two females and one male, so we have four litters of puppies per year. The second is my cake decorating business. I specialize in edible image cakes. The orders straggle in throughout the months (including a few wedding cakes here and there), but my busiest time of the year is graduation when everybody is wanting a cake – usually within a three day time period. No stress there! My other is an Internet business, which allows me the freedom to totally work it from home. The business I am in has a great support team of experienced online mentors. There is also a great back office that gets me the training I need in order to succeed.


I have come to the conclusion that working outside the home is not for me. I fill in very occasionally at the local hardware store for the secretary when she is gone. When I get home, I am stressed out and scurry around like a chicken with my head cut off – not knowing what I should try to tackle first on my list of things to do that I normally take care of during the day. I like my stay-at-home routine much better! I do not like when others assume that I set around and do nothing all day but watch TV. I am busy from the time I get up till my head hits the pillow at night. I always have something to do to keep the house running smoothly and my family on track. If you are a stay-at-home mom like me, never underestimate your worth in what you are contributing to your family. It is hard to put a monetary value on some things – and that is one of them. Next time you fill out a form and it asks your occupation, don’t just put in stay-at-home mom or housewife. Put in DOMESTIC ENGINEER. You have earned the title, so why not use it proudly. This is not meant as a term of political correctness. The dictionary says domestic means of the home or family affairs. An engineer is a person who is able to plan, organize, and manage. Us stay-at-home moms have so many rolls to fill and jobs to perform on a daily basis that we become experienced at them all. Being a stay-at-home mom is something I have been very proud of, as should anyone else who has been able to have that as their career. I wouldn't trade it for anything!


Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.


http://www.internettowealth.com/

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Prom and Post-Prom

Not all schools have continued the tradition of prom towards the close of the school year. It is a last chance for the juniors and seniors to have a formal event together before the seniors graduate. In our school, a few sophomores are included because they are there as servers for the banquet meal. The classmates, and dates if they have one, are adorned in gorgeous prom dresses and elegant tuxes. The girls wear accessories that compliment their outfit such as shoes, jewelry, a purse, and a beautiful hairdo. Both boys and girls sport corsages and boutonnieres to complete the look.

Our four sons went to both their junior and senior proms, but they did not take a date. They were content to go by themselves, as did some others, just to have a good time together. Several of our boys were even a little contrary to the typical prom clothing. A tux coat was only rented for one of the eight proms attended. That was by the oldest boy who realized that in his opinion it was a waste of $50. He voiced that opinion to his brothers and none of them bothered with that attire when they attended. (That particular son did get married five years later in a full tux though!) So the rest of the boys just dressed in a nice pair of slacks and dress shirt and tie. But two of our sons prefer the western look, so they went in new jeans, a western shirt, and cowboy boots and hat both of their years. A few of the adults at the prom did not think their attire was appropriate, but they looked very sharp, and it was more dressy than the one who showed up in the camouflage look!

Our prom festivities include the meal, the dance or socializing (by playing cards or games and visiting, which is what our boys did instead of dancing) and then the post prom. The kids are given one hour from the time the dance is over to show up for post-prom for lock-in until 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning. Alcohol is absolutely not tolerated in any way, and they will not be admitted to post-prom if there is any evidence of consumption between the two events. For about four hours the kids are divided into teams and compete in fun games. They try to have a different theme each year – a few being bowling, Wild West, casino, and boot camp. Kids realize they can have a lot of fun without the influence of alcohol. At the end of post-prom, the juniors and seniors each receive a gift bag full of stuff and a sizable gift card ($100 for seniors and $50 for juniors) that are donated by area businesses, which can be spent at the place of their choice.

The kids usually have a lot of fun just being together and getting to stay up late without parents complaining. And the parents are either at the post prom helping with the festivities or home in bed knowing the kids are safe because they are locked in to an alcohol-free environment with adult supervision. The kicker comes the next day though in trying to get caught up on sleepJ Our school had it’s last prom and post-prom this year, as we are consolidating with another neighboring school starting the next school year. Hopefully the kids will always have fond memories of our prom celebrations.

Prom and post-prom remind me of my Internet business in several ways.
It takes a lot of work to get them kicked off and keep them running smoothly.
This means teamwork – having people willing to do what it takes.
Even though it takes a lot of work, time is made for fun at the end as a reward.
You develop friendships that can last a lifetime.
You may have lost some sleep in getting in accomplished, but it is worth it in the end!

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.

http://www.internettowealth.com/

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Genealogy Nuts

Quite a few years back, I took an interest in my family’s genealogy. When I got married I took an interest in my husband’s genealogy. Then when we started having kids, I started wondering where some of their features and traits were coming from. I decided it was time to do some serious "tree climbing" and just find out what was out there on those branches.

I was so thankful that time I was ready to do this little venture that many people had already done research and posted it on the Internet to share with others. That saved me a whole lot of time and effort, and they don’t know how much I appreciate it. I already had as far back as our great-treat grandparents on both sides of the families and farther yet on some lines. Fortunately, others that had posted information on the Internet came from at least a twig or leaf from the same tree and could be traced back to the same branch as ours.

So just who were some of the "nuts" I found in our trees? The four trees I researched were Barnes, Patterson, Dougherty, and Winchell. I was rather impressed to find that I had such a notable person as Samuel Chapin, who came to America in 1635. Most people do not recognize that name, but he was portrayed as a statue in the history books as "The Puritan." The famous statue stands in Springfield, Massachusetts, of which he was one of the founders of that city. Henry W. Longfellow wrote a poem about an inn entitled "Tales of a Wayside Inn." Located in Sudbury, Massachusetts, this was originally known as Howe’s Tavern from 1716 to 1861 and was owned by David Howe – one of my ancestors. Along with the good comes the bad. There was a second wife to one of my greats that was burned at the stake in 1655 in Windsor, Connecticut after being accused of being a witch. At least she wasn’t a blood relative – just married to one of mine! And then there was a rumor passed down through the generations, but with no substantiated proof, that there was a horse thief in the family that was hung. I could have done without knowing that distasteful piece of history, but I guess we all have skeletons in our closets!

I started researching my husband’s lines and of course he had to outdo me. I found he was related to lots of royalty – yes, kings, queens, princesses, dukes, duchesses, and knights. I couldn’t believe who I was digging up. It started unraveling when I came across an ancestor by the name of Maud D’Aubigny. This was where it all started tying in to the royalty. Maud’s granmother was Adelicia Princess of Brabant, whose grandfather was Henry II, whose great-grandfather was Berenger II, King of Italy, and his great-great-great-grandfather was Henry I "The Fowler" King of the Germans. Some of the other notables in my husband’s tree are: Charlemagne, Charles the Great, Pepin the Short, Pepin I, Clovis, Baldwin V, Charles "The Hammer" Martel, Louis I and II, Charles II, Thor of Troy, Alfred the Great, Henry I King of England, William I, Charles III King of France, Claudius II King of France, Edward I "The Elder" King of England, Pompey The Great, Julius Caesar, Constantine Emperor of Rome, Claudius Nero King of Rome, Marcus Aurelius Emperor of Rome, and many other kings of England, France, Ireland, Denmark, and Troy. Researching back from these kings, some of this information must have been fairly easy to acquire, as kings and queens had to have proof of their lineage to be able to take the throne. Consequently, some of these families were traced back to biblical times, of which a lot of that is then recorded in the Bible.

I had to laugh though at three of his ancestors that I found, which most people think are fictitious characters. They are Old King Cole (Coel "Old King" King of Britian), Conan the Barbarian, and Lady Godiva. Those have made some interesting conversations! I did find I had some Sir Knights on my side of the family, so I tell my husband that we had people protecting his royal people!

I haven’t had as much time to work on our genealogies as I would like, but it is definitely one of my passions. On thing I can recommend to others is to get a list of your ancestors as far back as possible to have to pass on to your children and grandchildren. Also try to include as much information as possible, such as date and place of birth and death, same information on spouse along with marriage date and place, and a listing of their children with as many details as possible for them. Try to keep it updated with current information. You never know when someone in your family may get a hankering for tracing out the family tree and that information would be a gold mine to them. Or you may decide to do some digging for yourself after reading this to see just who YOU are related to. If you do, you will find there are many sites out there on the Internet that can help you with your search. If others have submitted information you can use, that’s teamwork – just like I have for my online business. Happy tree climbing and nut hunting!

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to ean money online.

http://www.internettowealth.com/